Hey guys --

So we currently encountered an Aphid Bug problem with our indoor pepper plants and basically the disgusting creatures are COVERING the plants in nasty amounts.  The pesticide we  got to kill off the aphids however isn't working.... so we came across another solution for aphids that apparently works really well.

The solution is releasing lady bugs all over the pepper plants because they eat the aphids and are apparently VERY good at killing them off.  My question was -- has anyone heard of lady bugs ever being harmful to bunnies?? 

 

Thanks for any advice or input you guys may have!

LOL.....Um....Bwahahhahahaaa LOL.... No, Lady Bugs are definitely not a threat to buns...... In fact we eat them all the time.. Every time you have something with Pink Icing tinted with Cochineal you are eating lady bugs. That's what the food colouring is made from. Aside from that unless you are an aphid or similar they are not a predation threat. You want to see something really weird look up some pics of lady bug larvae... They look nothing like their parents.
Sorry I shouldn't have Bwahhahaha'd

Posted By Roberta on 11/10/2012 10:42 PM
LOL.....Um....Bwahahhahahaaa LOL.... No, Lady Bugs are definitely not a threat to buns...... In fact we eat them all the time.. Every time you have something with Pink Icing tinted with Cochineal you are eating lady bugs. That's what the food colouring is made from. Aside from that unless you are an aphid or similar they are not a predation threat. You want to see something really weird look up some pics of lady bug larvae... They look nothing like their parents.
Sorry I shouldn't have Bwahhahaha'd

O....M.....G.       I did NOT know that.  Where has my head been?  Okay, don't answer that!.    At first I was like, Roberta, you have lost your marbles, but it seems really that I am lacking some marbles  because when I googled a bit (not that googling is the be all end all of things), I discovered that what you said seems to be right on.    I even read about Starbucks deciding not to use any type of food coloring that was used from bugs.  http://www.myhealthnewsdaily.com/2516-red-food-dye-bugs-cochineal-carmine.html

I will forever be scarred now because i love lady bugs!  I even have the "12 Lady Bug Picnic" song stuck in my head (back from when I was 6 years old watching Sesame Street!) So, now I am fully traumatized. 

Look up the larvae pics..... It gets worse... Most people kill the poor little blighters on sight not realising what they are. They are actually the things that gobble up the aphids. Mum and Dad bug not so much they tend to prefer rotting plant matter. If you get a lady bug box and some bags of lady bug lunch you can encourage them into your garden and watch the cycle.

Thanks BB for getting the Lady Bug Picnic in my head!!!

LMAOOO. Omg. I figured I was being overly dramatic since when I googled lady bugs and rabbits absolutely nothing came up -- but the BF was worried tooooo! So he made me feel not so dumb! And those larvae! Thanks for the heads up, I'm pretty sure I would've screamed bloody murder if I came over and saw THOSE crawling around. LOL. Well, looks like the buns and us are going to have some new pets flying around for awhile!

Ha, ha! Tanlover, I don't think your worries are overly dramatic at all; I don't like ANY insect to approach my darling little Hodari!  

 

Anyway, I wanted to tell you: I've been reading a lot about organic gardening lately and one thing that was mentioned in the books I'm studying is that aphids can usually be controlled just by spraying the plants off with strong bursts of water; once the aphids are washed off they usually can't find their way back to the plant. For a chemical-free insecticide you can use a clove of garlic, some cayenne pepper, and some diluted apple cider vinegar blended in your blender; strain it through a cheese cloth or some other type of filter so you've got a clear liquid, then spray your plants with that. Nothing against lady bugs...  I love them as long as they're outdoors where they can't dive bomb me while I'm eating or trying to brush my teeth, etc. Can you tell we've got lady bugs in our house right now? Lol.

I would be careful about what type of ladybug you use. Here in the Minnesota/Wisconsin (US) area we have a type of invasive ladybug that was released several years ago to help control the aphid problem. Turns out these bugs are horrible. If you vacuum them up or smash and kill them they can release this weird smell into the air that causes terrible headaches, they will bite when unprovoked and most people are allergic to their bites.  

Most ladybugs should be fine, just do a little research on what's native to your area

Here are some links to websites I found that relate to animals and ladybugs:

http://www.aspca.org/Pet-care/ask-the-expert/ask-the-expert-poison-control/japanese-beetles

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18582484

 

It's not much but I hope it helps

Hi Sam&, I know about those ones. They discovered that they are herbivores rather than carnivores and will eat the plants they were supposed to protect, so they have stopped the practice. Unfortunately we had some come into Australia and they are on the pest list. You can tell the difference as their shell is orange and they have a lot more spots than the normal orange or red lady bugs. The brown hairy ones are my personal favourites, I have quite a few of those in my garden with the others.

Silly Sangura where were you when I needed you? xP I accidentally killed my beloved kale plant trying to rid it of aphids.

Thanks TL for posting this great thread! =]